What being a heathen witch means to me

I want to take some time to explain what it means to me to be a heathen witch.

First of all, I use this description, to avoid the automatic association with Wicca, that some people have. I have nothing against Wiccans, but I am not one.

I started out as an eclectic witch, and the heathen part came later. But today, I am a heathen witch. The spiritual part of this is that I celebrate the major Asatru holidays and a few minor ones, and I also celebrate Moon cycles.

When it comes to deities, I don’t include many gods and goddesses in my work. I do on occasion, but not that often. I’m more connected to Nature spirits and ancestors. That’s probably the witch part of me.

Both heathenry and witchcraft:

are grounded

are Earth based

have a strong connection to Nature

celebrate the changing of the seasons

have a holistic approach to well-being

have no dogma (don’t tell you how to practice your spirituality, or how to live your life)

tell you to follow your own path.

Witchcraft also has a strong connection to feminine energy. All these things are a part of who I am. Some dictionaries have a weird definition of the words heathen and witch. They don’t seem to have been updated in the last 50 years. But the definitions I go by are:

Heathen: Any person that follows a modernized version of the religious beliefs and practices of the Norse and other Germanic people. Asatru, Vanatru, and other versions are a form of neo-paganism. Although some don’t like to admit that, I have no problem doing so.

Witch: A person who practices witchcraft Witchcraft is not a religion. All religions have witches, but not all witches are religious.

(Heathen + Witch = Heathen Witch)

If you aren’t sure what Paganism is, it’s an umbrella term for religions that don’t fit the mainstream. It’s mostly described as non-Abrahamic (i.e. it’s not Christianity, Judaism, or Islam), but the definitions differ. Some say it’ includes all nature-based religions. Some say it’s any religion that isn’t among the large ones.

If you have any questions about this, just ask. I don’t hide who I am.

Now you have an overview at least of what being a heathen witch means to me 🙂

My great grandmother used to practice divination, and my grandmother was more onto witchcraft. I grew up, learning from them, however, I do not practice any of these terms. Furthermore, I do have strong beliefs, even though I do not identify my self, as someone who grew up on this.